STORM & THE SHIPS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1878, 11 October 1913, Page 5

STORM & THE SHIPS.

RUMOURS OF WRECK, -v

STORY ABOUT MORAYSHIRE,

SCHOONER'S ORDEAL

THE DEVON BREAKING UP-

Furious surges swept- tho entrance *>f the port yesterday, and a south-east gale lashed tho Strait. Shipping, of courso, fared badly, and all inward- , bound boats reported what sailors term "weather." Of the incomers, the steamers Manuka, Waliino, and Mono-' wai felt tho strsaa of tho Btora at tho ! Heads, while tho only other arrival— tho schooner Fakon—made port min\jß,> her stcoring wheel and sails. Of tho' outward dispatches tho Moana, which quitted for Sydney at 4.45 p.m.. jnanaged to clear tho Heads, and she was followed by tho Wahiue, which hauled , in her lines at 8 p.m. .

Tho Mararoa, whioh left horo for Lyttelton at 8 p.m. on Thursday, did not reach her destination till 7.5 p.m. I yostorday,_ tho-trip oocupylng 28 hours.' | The Varrimoo, which left for Lyttelton [ at 5.45 p.m. on Thursday, did not fetch Godley Head until 8.20 p.m. yesterday— : [ a twenty-one hours' trip. Both steam-' crs must havo encountered tho full' forco of sea and wind. , With tho smaller coast steamers it was a case of "as you were," all sail-j ings being postponed till to-day, Thef' Stormbird left Wonganui for liero at--5.45 a.m. yesterday, and tho Wnlrau] cleared Blenheim at noon. 'As thoy had' not shown up at a lato hour last night it was thought that thoy had run for' shelter to convenient nooks on the 1 coast.MoraysMlro Wreak Rumour. Rumour was busy yesterday with' tho supposed wreck of an ocean 'inor at Cape Tcrawhiti. Thiß groundless canard was probably occasioned by tho fact that tho Morayshire, which left Auckland for Wellington at 1.15 p.m. on Tuesday, had not put in an. appearance. When this vessel left Auckland (at 1.15 p.m. on Tuesday) it' was anticipated that she would arrivo at Wellington during" Thursday afternoon. She did not turn, up, however, aud it waß then presumed that she had ru)i into bad weatnor. Yes-' terday morning some anxiety was felt,: and it _was_ not long before gSssrp' crystallised into what purported to fact. Tho ship, it waCsaid, was on tt 100 shore at Torawhiti. Inquiries, how-. ever, showed this to bo baseless. It may be mentioned hovrevor; that tho', Monowai left Auckland four hours after the Morayshire, and passed her on Tuesday night, and Capo Palliser reports; that the liner has not been Bightod there. The heaviest" sea for years has been running off tho Cape. Tho local - office of tho F. and S. Line does not an-' ticipate that tho vessel has mot with'' any accident. In view of tho heavy sea' running it is moro than likely that Captain Howard is sheltering, or that.-ho' has put out to sea. Closd Call for Soliooncr. Tho little Bchooner Falcon had a very,bad timo outside tho Heads early yos-' terday morning,, and tho vrholo thing: rather looks like a "close call." Shelost hor wholo suit of sails, steering wheel, and a quantity of deck fittings. Hor rudder was also unshipped, and for a timo she was rendered helploßS and left at tho moroy of the wind and Boa. Tho Fajcon, wliicli was bound horo from Havelock, witli timbor for_ Messrs., Easson, Ltd., got into difficulties during tho oarly hours of tlie morning, 'hi that timo sho was bowling' along woll under full sail, before a Btrong breeze, and thon a sudden lull ocourrod. During this lull Boas swept her foro and 1 aft. Captain Crouoher managed to anchor, and tho tug Karaka loft port at about 8.80 a.m.' to lend aid. Much difficulty was experienced in getting tho sohoonor under way. First ono of tho linos broke, and! then it was found that tho anohor hadl fouled an obstruction on tho sea-floor. At about 6.30 a.m., however, tho tag managed to effect a successful tow into Kau Bay, whore sho anchored l till Bho wa-s taken up to Evans Bay by tho tugs Admiral and Pilot yesterday after-*, noon. i Monov/al Faolng it. On tho run down from Napier to WcTlington tho Monowai had a troublous timo. Sho cleared Napior at 8.50 p.m. on Thursday, and all wont well till II p.m., when sho ran into tho storm. Seas swept on board during the night, and portion of tho deck railiug was carried away. A fow of tho port-B woto also stovo in ( and passengers' luggago was soaked with wator. As tho steamer was coming through tho Heads Bho pooped a couplo of seas which also did minor damage. On lifting tho hatches yesterday afternoon it waa found that some of t-lio cargo had suf-. fered. > The Battered Devon. It was, of course, alwavs Eurmisod that the first heavy "southerly" would eoriously l affect tho Devon, and this hypothesis waß proved true yesterday. Sea after sea hit tho hull, ana- at times groat waves rolled right over tho rannol. As each roller camo thunder-j ing in, tho old Devon was seen to lift) by tho storn, and then sho would oomo crashing down on tho rocks. Hor back has been/ broken, and hor stern has buckled up. Tho after-decks have beea lifted out of line, and, in plaoos, tho liner has budded out of shapo. Tho salvage gang, consisting of seven' men, who wore on Board, had an ordeal, and at times it looked as if their livea woro in danger. Shortly after daybreak the lightkeopers at Penoarrow reported that the men wtfro in difficulties, and instructions woro givem by, Mr. A. Walker, Lloyd's representative' at Wellington, for them to loavo tho ship. ' During tho morning three meal: managed to get ashore by tho lifo linoj wliich did such good work tho morning; after tho liner struck; Thoy had- a,: • strenuous timo in getting ashoro, how-| evor. but they managed l to reach thoj beacli without worso hurt than a sotor* soaking. . 1 Man Falls In Surf.

I The remaining four men wore jiot so fortmnato. On account of tho hieu tido Mid heavy Boa they woro unablo to leave tho sliip till late yostcrday aftoiM noon. Meanwhile Messrs. Dalgcty. andl Co., local agents for Lloyd's, sent three) men. down from Day's Bay on horsobaok to assist those on tho boach in working, tho lifo lino. As E. Alflnck, one of th« four remaining men, was being hauled l ! ashore, he fell out of tho boatswain's] chair into tlio surf. Ho iva's onm roscucd with difficulty, and when hoi was landed on tho beach rcsusoitation ■, motliods had to bo resorted to to bring) him round. The other threo men wora' landed safely, and tho salvngo party| returned to town by tlio Cobar lasv evening. bevon Cang's Work. Up till tlio time that tlioy had to leavo tho wreck, tho_ gang liad done good 1 work in dismantling. A start had Bec-tt mado on tho saloon fittings, telegraphs, and otlior gear, and a good pile of material, had 'been stacked on deck ready to bo transported to Wolliugton. It is thought that yesterday's sea will bare washed all this gear overboard.